Tom Garland

9.3

2 hour decant. A marvelous medium garnet color (decent fine sediment). On the nose: dark berries, cassis, forest floor, sandalwood, pencil shavings, chocolate, and cigar box. Taste: layered, balanced, still young wine with dark cherry/plum, cedar, dark chocolate, charcoal, and a lingering tobacco/leather finish. YUM! No hurry, a long distance Las Cases. — 7 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.2

2 hour decant(little fine sediment). A splendid dark magenta with some bricking. On the nose: subdued but enticing notes of blackberry, cassis, cigar wrapper, clove, pine, maybe a touch of brett. Taste: silky, still youthful at 20 wine with blackberry, red fruit, graphite, spice, and a medium smokey licorice tar finish. YUM..good but expecting more for the year..will wait a few years for next attempt. — 8 months ago

with Brenda

Vanessa

9.4

Here’s a gem from Howell Mountain AVA, Napa Valley!

Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon (2013).

It’s a deep ruby wine with subtle garnet influences. The nose and palate offer medium(+) intensity of ripe black cherry, blackcurrant, plum, blackberries, blueberry, creme de cassis, violet, black licorice, anise, cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, leather, clove, balsamic, olive, peat, vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg…

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium alcohol (13.9%), medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, and high tannins that are silky smooth and fine grained. The finish lingers.

It’s absolutely delicious - cheers!! — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Michael Seely

9.1

Solid, refreshing — 7 years ago

with Jeff and Joe

Stuart Dershaw

9.5

Birthday treat - cassis like but drier classic palate with a terroir that encourages Parker’s opinion of greatness. — 7 years ago

Jonathan Udkow

Import & Logistics, CA Sales Manager Pacific Prime WIne

9.4

Black fruit on nose leather and dust. Blackberry and cassis with a hint of mint and walnut. Finish is bright and perfumey with lasting jam with a touch of pyrazines that would love some food. Tannins are soft but prominent — 8 years ago

Vania Ling

9.0

Black olive on the nose, cooked plum, cassis, light tobacco leather. Medium tannin. — 9 years ago

Joe Lucca

9.3

Creme de cassis, thick, ripe, and juicy black fruits, crushed berries. Some notes of barrel toast. A baby. Will be off the charts good in a decade or more. — 9 years ago

with Russell, Frank and 2 others

Richard Crone

9.2

Aromas of plum, blackberry and cassis! Still an easy 10 years left of aging potential. — 11 years ago

boyd

9.4

Classic aged Napa cab. Eucalyptus, bay leaves, and mint initially. As it opened up, more cassis, violet and dried cranberries came out. Lovely wine and wonderful with a meal. — 11 years ago

Alex Powell

9.1

This is drinking beautifully right now, best bordeaux of the eve, classic pencil, cigar and forest floor nose with a pleasant greenness from the vintage and cassis behind powerful lead minerals. Full and nicely aged on palate, tannins starting to smooth out, good complexity and finish. 2004 vintage. — 11 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.6

Chappellet – Signature Cabernet Sauvignon – 2022 🇺🇸
Pritchard Hill (Mountain Fruit) – Napa Valley AVA – California, USA

Overview
A cornerstone of Chappellet for over three decades, the Signature Cabernet Sauvignon continues to define what Napa Valley mountain Cabernet is all about: power, elegance, and longevity.
The 2022 vintage carries a subtly adjusted blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, 2% Merlot, featuring a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon and slightly less Petit Verdot and Malbec compared to the 2021 (see my v2021 notes).
This shift gives the 2022 an extra dimension of muscle and purity, heightening its mountain-driven character.

Aromas & Flavors
Undeniably dark and expressive. Notes of blackcurrant, dark cherry, plum, and cassis rise first, followed by cedar, sage, aged tobacco, thyme, and beautifully integrated toasted oak.
As it opens, deeper nuances emerge, espresso bean, cocoa, graphite, and subtle mountain herbs.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and impeccably structured.
The increase in Cabernet Sauvignon amplifies its power and linearity, while polished tannins deliver a glowing richness across the palate.
Flavors of black cherry, currant, chocolate, espresso, and warm spice saturate the mid-palate. The finish is long, confident, and built for aging.

Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, lamb with rosemary, venison, black-truffle dishes, or aged gouda/cheddar.

Verdict
A formidable yet seductively elegant expression of Pritchard Hill. The 2022 is slightly more commanding than the 2021, with enhanced Cabernet purity and structural depth. A true benchmark in Napa’s hillside Cabernets, age-worthy, expressive, and unmistakably Chappellet. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Pritchard Hill’s volcanic, iron-rich soils and elevation create Cabernets known for density, refinement, and remarkable longevity, which is why so many iconic Napa producers source or plant here.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
Among my personal favorites in the mountain Cabernet category. The 2022 delivers that unmistakable “whoa” moment, especially when shared with friends and family. — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium deep garnet core with slightly wider terracotta rim . Quite exuberant nose , more dark fruits than the Barton , spicy , cedar notes , touch of funk , swimming pool note also . On the palate quite spicy more intense black fruits , cassis , sous bois , coffee , saline , mineral tinged sea spray notes . Balanced acidity and quite rounded but noticeable tannin . Long and denser on the finish than the Barton . Showing well now but can go another 10 years no problem — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2000 vintage. Lean and mean. Has the desired Bordeaux funk in the nose and flavors. Plenty of graphite, cassis and plum aboard with a light-medium body and a grippy, focused finish. A dynamite Margaux. Picking up more. — 4 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.0

Classic aromatics of cedar, cassis, dark fruits and some spices. The wine is dense, open for the youth of the wine and the vintage, grippy tannins that have an approachable almost silky texture, the fruit is very present, decent length at best though but a very good bottle even at this stage.

Nez classique de cèdre, cassis et fruits noirs avec des épices aussi. La bouche est suave, dense, des tannins puissants mais abordables de texture, la bouche est serrée avec quand même une fraîcheur et ouverture surprenante compte tenu de la jeunesse du vin, du fruit en masse avec une longueur correcte, très bien même à ce stade. 90-91
— 5 years ago

Andrew Belzer

10

Merry Christmas! bramble, leather cigar, cassis, blackberry, coffee. — 8 years ago

Keith Crump

9.2

A structured wine good cassis fruit balanced — 8 years ago

Palmer Emmitt

Owner/Winemaker Judge Palmer

9.4

I think my first Monte Bello and it does not disappoint. A very charming wine with an intriguing tomato component backed up by tons of cassis - "classic" California Cab. Great structure and for me in its prime right now (from half bottle). — 9 years ago

Ben Franco

Owner Winedown cafe & wine bar

9.6

1982 ch. Calvin Segur St Estephe Bordeaux.. Black center brownish to orange tone moving outward.. Nose very savory paprika dominate 1982 and acid and tannin still very much present after about 15 min cassis and chocolate appeared along with leather and raisins a wow experience!!! #1982 #oldbordeaux — 10 years ago

with Todd

Tommi Kuukka

9.3

Dark cherry, cassis. Powerful tannins. Will keep for ages, but delicious even now! — 11 years ago

Shana Wall

9.2

#1985 #ChateauDucruBeaucaillou (one of the oldest Bordeaux Wine producing Estates in the Medoc & named after the Large Stones that cover their unique soil!) Salty Goodness, Tobacco, Blackberry, Cassis, Red Cherry, Black Plum... Vinified in stainless steel vats. This wine glides down your throat. A very smooth ride. :) 👍🍷🍷🍷❤️ — 11 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium deep garnet ruby , quite thin garnet terracotta rim . This is quite classic and more austere on the nose after the 1990s , grafite , cedar, sweet spice , earthiness and mint. More dry and four square on the palate compared to the 1990s but enough stuffing to fill out. Cassis , plum and blackberry , coffee , grafite . Refreshing acidity , slightly grippy drier tannin. Sous bois , grafite , herbal character with good length and earthy cassis finish . This got better with time in the glass and probably should have been decanted . This shows there is some upside , from now , with time in the glass, and over the next 10 years. The wine that improved the most during the dinner , quite impressive . — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Bright medium ruby , quite thin violet rim . Quite discreet and fine, reserved on the nose . Red cherry , cassis , mineral tinged blackberry, after a while pomegranate. On the palate this is very detailed and precise , great freshness and with more red fruit, cherry , red plum , blackberry , wet slate , saline oyster shell with very fine tannins . Long mineral finish . Very young obviously but incredibly elegant and fresh . Will need time , this closed up quite a lot after time in the decanter . Better in 10 -15 years , will last well a further 10-15 . Incredibly promising . — 10 months ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

Better now than a year ago. Delicious. Stone fruits and melons. — 5 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.4

Deep ruby red in appearance. Rich and dark nose with layers of black plums, cassis, black pepper, violet undertone and a bit of minerality. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Layered palate with graphite, black cassis, violets and baking spices. Long, lingering and dry finish. Drink till 2045. — 7 years ago

with Sean and India

Shay A

9.2

Monthly WTF wine group. Special event this month as Ben provided all ‘80s Napa cabs. A few of us chipped in and provided some whites/bubbly.

Toasted Graham cracker, cassis, and even some old cedar wood. Structure was still in tact and young tasting. — 8 years ago

with Andrew, Will and 4 others

Vanessa

9.1

Soft tannins, oak, and earth; subtle cassis. '05 vintage. — 9 years ago

with Deked1

Doug Cranmer

9.3

We decanted for about an hour in advance. Hint of cherry, lots of cassis/black currant, a faint thinned-butterscotch at the start of the finish. Oak seems present but not overbearing. An extremely enjoyable wine that felt balanced and complete. — 10 years ago

with Mary

Sara Moll

9.5

Still so young but drinking beautifully. Dark plum and cassis, earthy and herbaceous. Very complex and well balanced. — 11 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.4

This was poured through a Zazzol aerator and just spilled out Cassis, black olive, cigar box and vanilla/brown sugar from the glass. Should she well for another 8-10 years. Delicious! — 12 years ago